Want to make a military 30 degree bag into a topquilt. What type of thread should i use?
Want to make a military 30 degree bag into a topquilt. What type of thread should i use?
Use a good quality 100% polyester thread...another recent discussion.
I think nylon also works. The main thing is, no cotton. Cotton is rotten!
Nylon is frequently sited as a poor choice due to home machines not handling it well.Originally Posted by Buzz
I bought thread at Joanns labeled for outdoor use. The spool says "Coast Outdoor, polyester" I haven't made a quilt - yet (working on acquiring materials), but I have made pillows and a bunch of other stuff and I assume it will work - long as its not cotton.
"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." -D'Signore's, Tide Mill Farm, Edmunds, Maine.
I just sewed together a hammock and hex tarp using Gutermans 100% polyester thread that I picked up from Joann's. The cheapo sewing machine I borrowed for the project seemed to handle it just fine. Basically try to avoid anything with cotton in it because it tends to rot.
Maybe I'm just lucky but my 237 & 301 handle bonded nylon #69 without issue.....
All Good Medicine,
Crow
Creator, everything we do leaves a track. May our tracks be ones we would want you to see and others to follow.
I recommend polyester thread for sewing synthetics. But cotton thread was used for many, many years before the advent of our synthetics. People point to cotton as a fragile thread for outdoors due to rot while ignoring the UV deterioration of synthetic threads, particularly nylon.
Common custom is to match the thread to the base fabric. So if you are using natural fiber fabrics you want a natural fiber thread. Typically cotton. Synthetic fiber fabrics are matched to a synthetic thread. Typically polyester due to the difficulty many home machines have with nylon screwing up the tensions with stretch.
The biggest reason to avoid cotton thread in outdoors projects is the synthetic fabric is harder and sharper than the cotton and can actually cut the thread causing sometimes catastrophic failure. Likewise, synthetic thread on natural fabrics can cut the base fabric. Properly cared for, cotton thread is reliable for outdoor use although somewhat higher maintenance than synthetic. But when used on synthetic base fabric it presents an incompatible combination due to the mismatched densities of the two.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
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